A Breath Of Fresh Air
by Girl With Grey Eyes
Summary: To be frank, the Condor was getting boring. Time for a breath of fresh air! T for saftey. Please, please please r&r. AerrowPiper later and FinnOC.
1. Mysterious Riders and Julesburg cheese

ok so it's my first storm hawks. Cut me some slack. I reckon there is a overhead trap door on _The Condor_, but i don't know about Julesburg cheese...

* * *

Twice upon the times, a fish jumped. An otter stealthily slid into the water and caught up with it in one swish of its tail. Meanwhile, a dragon was rampaging throughout the countryside, demanding round the clock room service of princesses and sheep. But that isn't the story. This story happened long ago, in a galaxy far away… wait… that's Starwars. Now, on to the _real_ story. 

It was the average day on _the Condor._

"Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Bor- hey! That's my hair gel!" Finn took off from his seat to chase Radarr, whose fur was looking suspiciously wet and spiky. "ONLY THE FINN MAN CAN USE THAT!"

Watching without any real interest, Aerrow attempted to immerse himself in tightening a screw on his skimmer. Unfortunately, he was turning it the wrong way, causing it and a whole metal strip to fall off. Cursing, he finally managed to fix it back on.

Suddenly, Piper leaped up from where she was lounging next to the ship detection device. "Incoming! Small skimmer sized vehicle at twelve o'clock!"

"What allegiance?" demanded Aerrow, grabbing his energy blades and running up beside Piper and Stork, where he could indeed see a small dot, quickly getting bigger.

"Unknown!" Piper bit her lip, her fingers dancing over controls. "I can't trace their vehicle type or number, so they aren't allied with the sky knights however, there's only one, so it probably not cyclonians." Stork muttered something under his breath, about unknown pilots and certain doom.

The ship was a hive of activity, as everyone rushed for weapons ("just in case," insisted Junko to a near hysterical Stork), previous boredom forgotten.

"Transmission in from the unknown skimmer!" called Finn, as all rushed over. "It says 'prepare to be boarded. Like hell prepare.' " Turning back to the rest of the squadron, he raised an eyebrow. "Well, they'd better prepare for the Finn man! Chica-cha!" He struck a pose, as the others rolled their eyes, save for a spaced out Stork, who was rubbing his chin. "'Like hell prepare'? Familiar…" he murmured.

There came a thud, and everyone glanced upwards as the hatch lock squeaked. "They're forcing their way in!" gasped Piper.

"Battle stations!" ordered Aerrow, as everyone tensed.

Suddenly, the latch decided it had had enough. Life had been tough for this poor, neglected latch, right from being created. What, with no loving care and countless break ins, the worn security device gladly received the offered escape from the kind hair pin.

A small helmeted figure fell down the trap door, instantly jumping up again as if they had springs attached. "Sky knights!" hissed the figure, voice unidentifiable through the voice changing visor attached to the helmet (which had probably seen better days, with one whole side suspiciously missing, showing spiky, purple streaked brown hair.), over which they could only see a golden pair of eyes.

"Weeeeell, technically were not, but if you say so…" corrected Finn.

The figure relaxed, and stood up from a crouching position. "Oh. That's cool then. Sky Knights are pansies anyway." The stranger removed the helmet to reveal a girl no older than they, with one side of her chestnut hair flat from the helmet, sharply contrasting with the windblown half.

Stork's eyes widened. "No… please no…I got rid of you a year ago…" he backed into a corner. Finally noticing him, her face broke into a wide smile, and she walked towards him with her arms outstretched.

"STORK! I wondered where you'd skulked off to!"

"NOOO! Not you again! And before you say it, there are no such things as trainers, there is no such place as earth, and I am NOT PISTASHIO GREEN!"

"Aww, c'mon here, gimme' a hug!"

The others all looked stunned. Finally, Junko managed to speak. "You uh… know her?!"

The girl beamed, and put her arm around the scowling merb's shoulders. "Yup. I visited Terra Merb once, and met him there. We were great buds." She suddenly frowned, turning to Stork. "But why didn't you answer my message crystals? Although a telephone would have been easier…"

Heartily bemused by the mention of a telephone ("a what?"), all of the Storm Hawks wore different expressions. Junko looked like he was trying to figure out what she was saying, Aerrow looked slightly taken aback, and Piper was furrowing her brow. Finn, however, looked like he wasn't taking in a word she was saying, looking at her if she was the first girl he'd ever seen.

"Stork? Is there an explanation handy?" Aerrow looked slightly at loss for words.

The pilot sighed, and leaned in to talk without the girl hearing. "Heala? She's sort of a gangster. I met her at home before the storm hawks, and she means certain …doom."

"All correct, save for 'me being a gangster,'" Heala called, making them all jump. "It's such an ugly term; I prefer 'bounty hunter'. It's more accurate too. And what have I told you? Clumsiness isn't deadly!"

"Says the girl who knocked over a whole tub of oil and set a house on fire," muttered Stork, leaning in again.

"But can we trust her?" asked Piper, chewing her lip.

"Probably. She always keeps her word. Just be careful; _she may have struck a bargain with someone else already_." He jumped back as the bounty hunter bounced over.

"Speaking of which," she grinned. "I haves something to ask of you guys. I need to deliver a crystal shipment to Terra Gale, but I ran out of crystals, and had to land on your ship. Any chance you could give me a lift there and back to Terra Atmosia?"

Aerrow was quick to reply. "What's in it for us?"

Heala chuckled. "A man after my own heart," she said, mockingly putting a hand on her chest. "Yes, it _will_ be worth your while. Apart from returning the necessary crystals, I'll give you this." Reaching inside a patch on her brown and white top, she pulled out a painted chicken feather. "Show this to anyone in the underworld and they'll slave away at your needs. Just say The Chicken sent you."

Finn raised an eyebrow. "The chicken?" he asked, making an vain attempt to get the attention foucused on him.

She shrugged. "The Chicken. The Joker. The Lady of Sporks. Whatever. You gotta' use a name, or you lose your cred. Also, it's best to keep your name a secret."

The squadron gathered round in a circle to discuss the matter, while Heala fiddled with something in her quiver. "Piper? Your opinion?" asked Aerrow.

The navigator pushed some hair back from her face. "Well, my guess is she's pretty well hooked up, therefore the feather. It would be useful to have someone in the underworld in our debt. Remember the colonel?"

Aerrow shuddered and turned to Junko. Interpreting the look, he said "well, I guess it could be pretty useful. She can help, y'know?"

The captain turned to Radarr, who shrugged. He could guess Stork's answer before he said anything, as he was frantically motioning 'no. no no NO.'. "Finn? Shall we agree?"

The sharpshooter dreamily gazed over at Heala, wearing a smile precisely 5 and a half sizes too big for his face. "cuuute…" Aerrow sighed, guessing that was the most he'd get out of him. He turned to the rest of the storm hawks.

"I guess she's staying."

"Brilliant!" the girl grinned, having discreetly listened in on the conversation. "And yes, my dear, I _am_ well connected. Some people would give their eye teeth for that feather. Unfortunately, it's one use only."

"One question though," asked Piper. "If you were looking for a lift, why did you land on a sky knight's ship? According to your reaction, you dislike them."

"Well, for one there weren't any other ships around. Two, you had probably nicked the wreck from where it was before, and therefore weren't the real thing," she replied, ticking reasons off her fingers. She winced, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Three, there was no news about 'reforming Storm Hawks', so you were probably wannabes, trying to get some experience, though you do look official. Unsigned squadrons are the best; more willing to help."

Her answer intrigued Aerrow. "Why? Sky knights should always be there to help."

She took a deep breath and sighed. "Hate to break it to you, but they aren't all perfect. In fact, I've yet to find a decent squadron. You know I said about going back to Terra Atmosia? Well, I need to pick up my sister and take her there. She's-"Heala twisted her mouth, "-ill. It happened when we were younger, when all of us- my parents, my two sisters and my brother- were living together.

"My parents were captured by cyclonians. My sister has been traumatized since." Her gaze switched accusingly to Aerrow, as if it was his fault. "The council guessed it was going to happen. But did they send help? No!" she glared at them for a few moments, and then appeared to let all her anger was away. "Well," she continued normally. "Enough about me. I know nothing about you. Stork? Do they have names?"

Grumbling, Stork grumpily pointed to each Storm Hawk in turn. "Aerrow. The leader. Piper. Second in command. Junko. The mechanic. Finn. Sharpshooter. And the blue furball is Radarr, mission specialist, who… appears to be missing…"

The mentioned dog…rabbit…thing… appeared in a door way, clutching a huge hunk of Julesburg.

Heala's mouth dropped open, and her eyes grew wide. Radarr started to look a little scared, as the girl crouched down and sprung at the surprised creature.

"CHEEEEEEESE!"

It was going to be an interesting week.

* * *

ok. It was probably terrible, but tell me what you thought anyway. THAT MEANS REVIEWS.

I tried to get in all of the characters in, well, character, and featuring them all so I don't neglect them, and to prevent the dire suemonella from infecting Heala, but I don't know; you guys are the readers. I don't know when I can update again, as I'm still working things out, and dealing with a new, stressful school year. so, incase I don't see you for a year, bye!

GWGE

XxXxX


	2. The miracle of chocolate cake

Ok, I'm really pleased with the respose I got for the first chapter. THANKS GUYS! So i think I'm going to continue this until i start getting unanimous bad responses. anyway, I'm going to start a bit of P/A romance in this story, then continue it in another. thoughts? I know for certain that I will continue the Heala/Finn romance in another story, the name of which is a closely guarded secret. For now, (to get the general picture of her) I have put in a fact file of Heala. Anything marked with an X means it will appear later on or in the next story.

Name – Heala

Age – 14

Hair – brown, spiky on one side, flat on the other, with purple streaks

Eyes – gold

Clothes – Brown t - shirt with chicken logo, black leggings and dirty boots with knee length socks.

Job – bounty Hunter/gangster/whatever really

Afflictions – X

family - X

Weapons – Throwing Sporks

Defence – Frying Pan shield

Vehicle – Custom built skimmer, named 'the pig'.

EDIT: by the way, I forgot to add this in; I don't own the storm hawks (you'd be worried if I did) and when reading the bit about the hotpot, listen the the classical piece _Carmina Burama. _When the chocolate cake muscles it's way in, imagine angels singing.

* * *

Surprisingly enough, Piper and Heala made quite good if slightly hesitant, friends. Helped along with sugar high snacks, of course. 

"I like having another girl on board," explained Piper to Aerrow. "If there wasn't someone on occasionally, I might explode. I hate to admit it, but you guys are rather lacking in Grace And Tact."

The two girls would lock themselves in the navigator's bedroom, from where occasional bursts of laughter filtered through the door. The rest of the squadron were curious as to what they did in there, and one night employed Finn to listen and look through the key hole.

"They talk mostly," answered the sharpshooter to the eager guys.

"That's it? For, like, HOURS?" Junko asked disbelievingly.

"Yeah, I'm serious. Oh yeah, and they paint their nails."

"Unbelievable," murmured Aerrow, and the others nodded their heads in solemn agreement.

Heeeeeeeello." Heala waltzed in, wearing ridiculous hot pink lipstick that clashed horribly with her purple streaks. "Finn, my man, inform me what manly stuff you're doing here, while we explore the delights of cosmetics."

Finn was about to make The Ultimate and Incredibly Cool One Liner that would have Heala falling over her feet to ask him out, before Stork cut in. "Did you know most lipsticks are made with fish scales?"

The girl's complexion turned faintly green at that point, and she sprinted for Piper's room. He smirked, and turned back to the charts they had been poring over before Finn's report. "We have been travelling for four days, and we'll arrive tomorrow at Terra Gale. But we should watch out for doom in the form of … cyclonians. The path from Terra Gale to Terra Atmosia is riddled with them. It is my recommendation we take a longer, doom plagued, but potentially less fatal route."

"We'll chance it, Stork." Aerrow answered confidently. "Besides, we have extra help."

On cue, a burst of laughter came, and Piper and Heala (with, thankfully, no blinding lipstick on) came in doubled over laughing, with tears in their eyes. "Tell me again how he 'forgot' the wave…" howled the bounty hunter, clutching her stomach.

"Well…we were in Tropica, and Finn was surfing the waves, when he spotted the most hated type of girl ever, a skinny blonde…"

With a sinking heart, Finn realised it was the story of his 'incident' from two months ago in Tropica. They had never let him live it down. "Piper, shut up," he hissed at her, but it was too late.

"So he thought he would impress her with a super cool move, failing to realise that little wave behind him was turning into a monster tidal wave…the wipe out was hilarious."

"Ahh, what a terrible shame." Heala pretended to press her hand in mock despair to her forehead. "I was considering a relationship with you. I think I will go cry in my pillow, for you prefer blondes to brunettes." Snorting, she strolled over to the chart, tracing the route. "So… it'll take approximately two days? Good. Hope you enjoy dinner; I'm cooking hotpot." Stork looked vaguely horrified.

After she went out, Aerrow turned, grinning, to Finn.

"Shut up," growled Finn, as the captain opened his mouth to speak.

"But don't you -"

"Don't. Say. A. Word."

XxXxXxX

Stork, Aerrow decided, had not just looked vaguely horrified; he had looked petrified. And now he could see why.

The squadron gingerly poked the…mush…thing…with their forks. Even Junko refused to touch it, which was saying a lot. This was the guy that happily munched on live, mud coloured starfish.

Heala beamed, looking slightly anxious. "So you like it?" she was wearing a cook's outfit (with a hat that looked suspiciously like the one Radaar got on Terra Vapos) covered with flour, as was her face and hair, looking like she sported little white freckles. How she managed to work flour into hotpot was a mystery.

"It's…unusual," Piper managed. The bounty hunter beamed. "I…think I'll go and eat in my room. I'm…err…enjoying a book, and don't want to stop!" the navigator slipped off, hurrying to her room with the offending plate. The others silently cursed, wishing they had thought that excuse up.

"Well, come on, eat up," Heala patiently told the guys. "I have to prepare dessert." She trotted off to the kitchen.

Finn immediately ran over to the window and threw the gloop out of the window. "Eurgh, that was the worst hotpot I've ever tried."

Aerrow grinned. "And I thought you might have eaten it to please her," he said, before jogging over to do the exact same as Finn. "I'm not going to stop annoying you about it, you know," he added after seeing Finn's face.

"Yeah, well, whatever," Finn waved his hand dismissively. "Let's head off if her dessert's just as bad as the main." The captain nodded, and they quietly started to sneak off. Stork, however, remained behind. "Dude, why are you staying? You said it your self; she's certain doom, and know I know why."

Stork smirked. "Oh. You'll see." Curious, they sat back down.

Then, the most wonderful smell emanated from the open kitchen door. The guys' eyes widened as they watched the supposed culinary nightmare come out holding a huge, steaming plate of delicious looking chocolate cake. "I hope its ok – is there enough chocolate?" she placed it on the table and cut it, watched by five pairs of eyes, each over a drooling mouth.

When each plate was served, each fork immediately came down on each slice, and a each mouthful was into each mouth, every taste bud doing flips in ecstasy. Needless to say, the cake rapidly vanished. Heala watched them nervously. "how is the cake?"

Aerrow groaned, loosening his belt. Finn grinned tiredly, his face covered in chocolate." Dude, you need to make that more often. Speaking of which, is there seconds?"

* * *

love it? hate it? want to ignite it with a flame thrower? TELL ME!

Heala's hotpot is based on my dad's stirfry, which is completely inedible. Her cake is based on my mother's, who is the damn best cook I know. And no, Heala's cooking isn't based on mine.

Heala: thank Atmos - your's is awful!

Me: well sorry! damn my spunky characters. well, as I was saying, her's is ok save for the hotpot, whereas mine is all round toxic.

see you next chapter!

GWGE

XxXxX


	3. A first class spork, if you don't mind

well, you all er...liked... Heala's hotpot, so I decided to keep it up. Now I want lots of lovely reviews! OR I'LL RANSOM THE CHAPTER! sorry if there was too much Finn/Heala in there. it just worked out like that. The P/A will come in later.

I begged and I pleaded, but I wasn't allowed the Storm Hawks rights. Aww well. No music suggestions.

* * *

A figure sneaked through the darkened corridor. _Yes,_ he thought. _It is near._

Stork had left the ship on auto pilot, so there was no one to stop the intruder from slipping to the main hall. What was he after?

"Finally,"he whispered, opening the door and –

"Hello?"

The figure froze, as Piper immediately went into a defensive position. "Who is it?" she flicked on the lights, and her eyes widened at what she saw.

Standing by the open fridge door, guiltily holding a half eaten bowl of strawberry shortcake, was Finn. He grinned awkwardly, perhaps sensing the punishment cleaning to come.

Piper pursed her lips. "Finn? Why are you sneaking about and eating shortcake?"

"Weeeell, would you like the good version that shows me as a smart and clever person or the true one?"

"The truth. Need you ask?"

He threw up his hands in exasperation. "Fine! I wanted to get Heala's shortcake before Aerrow and Junko, you can now put me on Cleaning Duty For Eternity, blah blah blah… happy?"

She smirked. "Yes, thank you. I didn't think to put you on for cleaning duty, but it's a good idea. We're arriving at Terra Gale tomorrow, so I suggest you get your beauty sleep."

"Can I finish the shortcake?" Finn asked hopefully. The only answer he got was a finger pointed in the direction of his room.

XxXxX

The next day, while the sun was rising, _The Condor_ landed on Terra Gale. "Everyone out!" Stork ordered, waving them away, and then reclining in a chair with a slight smirk. "Ahh. Peace at last."

"NOO! MY CHEESE!" Heala chased after Radarr, attempting to recover her atmosian stilton from him. She skidded to a halt and threw a shiny, glowing object after him, which stuck him to the wall. "Haha! Look who's laughing now! Ha! Ha ha! Hahahaha!"

Aerrow, however, was examining the throwing object. "What the…is this a Spork?"

Heala snatched it back. "One of my first class, crystal enhanced _throwing_ sporks, if you don't mind. They're also pretty good at dishing up salad, too." She answered proudly.

"S'cuse me, number one sharpshooter and ladies man coming through. Pardon me, ma'm." Finn had entered the house. Nudging Aerrow to the side, he prized the weapon out of the girl's hands. "Hmm. Dart style idea, powered by crystal," he chewed his lip absentmindedly as he balanced the Spork on one finger. "All in all, a good throwing weapon. Nice aim, too."

Heala grinned up at him. "Thank you, for both your newly revealed intelligence and kind comments. But they're nothing compared to my ride." She smirked again and strolled off to the skimmer runway, the rest of the Squadron following her.

Finn just stood there looking stunned. "_Did she just pay me a complement?" _he wondered. "_Maybe I do stand a chance."_

XxXxX

Wren gladly received them all, vigorously pumping their hands up and down so they were left wincing and rubbing their arms. Despite being glad to accept the crystals (passing some mysterious brown packages back), the Storm Hawks noticed, he looked a little wary of dealing with Heala, reminding them of Stork's warning. However, his granddaughter Dove didn't appear to be so cautious, as she chatted quite happily to the bounty hunter, both often looking in Finn's direction, before turning back to the other girl and laughing.

A pleased looking Heala trotted over with a giggling Dove on her tail. "Well guys, I just need to get my sister. We could then set out the following morning. Kapeesh?"

Aerrow nodded. "We need to stock up on supplies; crystals and stuff. We'll meet you back here at seven tonight." Agreeing, Heala waved her goodbyes and briskly trotted off to _The Condor._

"Enjoy your sporks and Galean Red!" Dove called after the retreating figure. Aerrow arched an eyebrow. "Granpere makes Heala's sporks," she explained, correctly interpreting his silent inquiry. "And the Galean red?" she giggled. "She has quite ze fondness for our red and white wines."

"Isn't she a bit young?" Piper questioned. Dove just shrugged.

"Outside of ze law, outside of ze rules. She doesn't have a drinking problem, if zat is what you are zeenking. If she is too young to sample our wines, aren't you a leetle short to be a Sky knight squadron? She also goes a leetle starry eyed around our rebel ducks," she continued with a smirk, not noticing Finn's flushed cheeks.

"Yes, they are just _adorable,_ aren't they?" They jumped as a Skimmer roared up behind them, Heala in the seat. "My room is just _covered _in pictures of them. Strong, silent type. Thank you, atmos, for creating the rebel ducks." She sighed happily, as Finn snorted.

"Nice, uh… ride," Junko put in. He was getting a little tired of being ignored by the author, who apologises profusely to Junko fans.

Heala woke up from her dreamy trance. "Huh? Oh, yeah. Stork built it," (who was looking mournfully at the scratches) "and I've never gone back from Heli-scooters since. I call it _The Pig._" The reason why was rather obvious, as the snout shaped head showed. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat about hot Gale guys, but I gotta' pick op my sis'." Her engine roared as she rocketed away.

"What?" questioned Finn as they all stood staring at him. "It wasn't that obvious, was it?"

* * *

Good or bad? you decide! Tell me with your lovely reviews. the Idea for Heala's adoration of the rebel ducks came from the fact they look like sky knight posterboys, and my own fangirlish urges.

Dark Ace; (_with a shudder_) you can say that again.

me; AIIEEEEE!! (_Jumps on him) _now you will be mine for ever! and I will love you and hug you and squeeze you...

DA; (_groans) _please, let me die...

he is so cute.

GWGE

XxXxX


	4. All in all, a good night for romance

ok, first of all - SOOOO SORRY GUYS! I have a tonne of tests coming up, so only just squeezed this in.

something I _need_ to remember more - I , unfortunetly, don't own Storm Hawks. If I did, the yummy Dark Ace would be mine...

listen to the song _Rewind _by Paolo Nutini while Heala and Finn are talking. I'll probably use this song and another by dear Paolo for two chapter in the sequels. Don't blame me, he's good, _and_ from Scotland.

so on with the show.

* * *

"Yep. It's her." Stork lowered the binoculars and sighed mournfully. "Fifteen minutes late, and on my lovely skimmer, now all scratched and worn." Sure enough, they could now see a skimmer with two figures on it, heading directly for _The Condor._

It stopped as it got to the village, where they could clearly hear some of the village boys shouting some rude insults. The figure in front raised its head, and out flowed some of the filthiest language known to man. Most of it wasn't, actually. The whole squadron winced and covered their ears. After a few minutes of screeching all the variations of 'screw you', the figure revved up and sped to _The Condor,_ stopping at the bridge.

"Hello hello hello!" Heala removed her helmet, the visor on which had been raised to cover her eyes. She seemed completely unconcerned with her foul mouth. "Sorry we're late, was visiting a few old friends. Meet my sister, Raven."

The second girl unsteadily got off the bike and pushing aside a thick curtain of long black hair, revealed herself to be a slim girl, maybe a year younger than her sister, wearing a rough white cotton dress with a leather bodice, both too big for her and probably intended for Heala. Her face was thin and finely shaped, but there was a hollowness around her eyes, eyes as purple as elderberries on the vine, as empty as the windows of a haunted house. She regarded Aerrow intently, apparently unaware of the intensity of the returned gaze. "Hiya!" Junko said enthusiastically, trying to break the ice. "Your sis' has been with us for a bit! She's a really good sharpshooter, like Finn!"

A ghost of a smile appeared on the girl's lips, and so faintly they wondered if they heard it at all, she replied "hi."

"You can stay in my room," Heala said, getting straight down to business. "There's room for two." She dragged the unresisting Raven through the door.

All were silent for a few moments, until Piper voiced the words going through everyone's head. "Now I know what she meant by traumatized."

XxXxX

Later that night, as Aerrow was returning to his room from a delicious dinner (a la Piper et Heala), he snagged his sleeve on the table edge, causing a large rip in the fabric. Cursing, he turned to see the resident bounty hunter sneaking out of the kitchen. "Heala!" he called, making her jump and look round wildly for a few seconds. "What you up to?"

The gangster looked shiftily around. "I was…just… um…going up to the roof…" she answered fugitively.

"Right," he answered glancing at the half unwrapped wine bottles. "Hey, can you fix this?" he asked, indicating his ripped sleeve. "Junko and Finn refused to learn, and Piper says it bores her."

"NEVER!" Heala declared shrilly, Aerrow detecting a powerful whiff of alcohol, although the bottles were still full. "The days where woman sat at home and sewed are over! However, my sister may do it," she added carelessly, before heading for the roof. "She's good at that kinda' thing."

He thanked her and headed off down the corridor, after going to his room and changing into a t-shirt. Arriving at the two sister's door he knocked and entered.

Despite Heala's messy bed, with the pillows and duvet all over the place (barely concealing a book by the name of _Alice on Terra Wondera. _Apparently even bounty hunter's have a soft side.), there was nothing else there, even on Raven's bed (the opposite of her sister's). _It's almost like they were ready to leave at short notice, _he thought, remembering Piper mentioning this once when the bounty hunter first came on.

"Hello?" a voice asked. Realising the room was occupied, he finally noticed Raven sitting next to the window.

"Um…hi. I ripped my shirt sleeve, and Heala said you were good at sewing, so…" he trailed off awkwardly, as she examined the shirt. After a few uncomfortable moments, she nodded. "Thanks," he ventured, getting a smile in return.

"No problem," she whispered, making him feel slightly victorious afterwards for getting her approval, as he walked back down to his room.

XxXxX

Finn, meanwhile, was doing the same. That was, until he heard laughter coming from the hatch (the lock of which had still not been fixed). Curious, he jumped up, months of battles making it easy.

It was Heala. Of course it was. "it's Blondie from the Storm Hawks," and started to sing tunelessly. "_One way, or another, I'm gonna' getcha', gonna' getcha' getcha' getcha' getcha'…_" she giggled.

He cocked an eyebrow. "You've already started on the wine?"

"Of course."

"I'm in." she dragged him down to sit next to her.

"Try the white. It's my fave," she said, slurring her words slightly. He obediently filled up a glass, and had a sip, then tried the red. "You need to improve on your sipping technique," she commented, swirling the wine in her glass around.

He laughed. "Point taken, oh drunk one. Red's nicer, though. More flavour."

She pouted. "Aww. But you notice that it's alcohol more. With white it's more like water."

"Since when did you become an expert in wines?"

She shrugged. "It lasts longer than water, and it's cheaper in some places. Trust me, when you have next to no money and an ill sister hanging on your hand, it's the best alternative."

How did you get to where you are now?" he asked, taking another swallow.

"Well, I opened the hatch, and then I jumped up. However, you appear to be talking about careers, so I should probably shut up. My older brother and sister left straight after my parents…went. I don't know where they are anymore, and I had to fend for myself. When I was younger I did some delivery runs and stuff, for the colonel and the likes. I also dressed up as an old lady and claimed benefits." She grinned wickedly. "Never laughed so hard in my life."

She jumped up, wobbling slightly, and spun around in a circle, getting faster and faster. "It wasn't what I wanted to do, though. When you're young, everyone wants to be a Sky Knight; save the world, be a hero… I discovered flying when I first started working for the underworld. No one appreciates really; to look on the world like a map, the clear blue of a morning sky, to fly through a rain cloud and smell its coming… have you ever smelled a storm before it begins? My parents were poor, and we couldn't afford all these fancy skimmers and such. I got a few sticks and was told 'go play'. So it was love at first sight when I first tried it."

She collapsed in a heap next to him, and looked up intently at the sky. "Stupid stars. They get to stay up there for eternity, till the day they die. I wish I could do that. Enough about me, anyway. Your delightful upbringing?"

He sighed. "Good upbringing, parents determined for me to be the best in everything, pushing me into violent sports so they could scream away on the sidelines; yeah, normal. They were ecstatic when they heard about us forming a squadron; wanted us to be the savers of Atmos and everything, me as numero uno. Aerrow's the good one, though."

She was silent for a while, and when she spoke, her voice was softer. "Where I came from, there was an old legend, long before the sky knight council was formed, about a hero called Finn Mac Cool and his band of Feans."

He laughed. "No way!"

"Yup. They were borne from gods and goddesses, and fought injustice everywhere, usually for beautiful maidens." She winked. "Minus the god bit, it sounds a bit like you lot. My surname's Mac Cool, you know."

"I didn't."

"It is. What's with all the bravado and ego, anyway?"

He sighed. "As I said, Aerrow's the hero. Piper's the smart one. Stork is the amazing pilot, and Junko? Well, he's strong. What am I? A sharpshooter. Nothin' big. Everyone looks at them, and when they come to me, they just say 'he's the goofball.' I have to compensate a bit."

She threw her arms around Finn's waist in a slightly tipsy hug. He stiffened, then relaxed into it, hesitantly putting his his arm around her shoulders "Well, never mind Aerrow. He can stick with his fancy moves and such, but your the sharpshooters' hero. Your _my_ hero. But I'm getting sentimental in my old age and drunkenness, I suppose."

"Very much so, m'dear."

* * *

rubbish. I know. The Finn MacCool character is really a celtic ledgend, but I borrowed him. sorry to Junko fans, I made hime look like a complete idiot. I just can't write him. Update won't be for a while, so be prepared to wait. however, there is a surprise! 

Now, I have decided that I am ransoming the update! if I don't get more than FIVE reviews, I will not publish the next chapter!

Dark Ace:but... that's...mean!

Me: (_flabbergasted_) you think _I _am mean? YAY! (_glomps him)_

DA: LEAVE ME ALONE, YOU INSOLENT TWERP!

Standard day in my brain.

XxXxX


	5. Before the battle

YOU WILL READ THIS!!!

Thankyou. Ok, sorry guys it's been a while but I have a proper reason which you'll completely understand (if you're scottish). SCOTLAND LOST TO ITALY! Boo hoo. That was so not a free kick. Bloody refs. Anyway, it's customary for me to go into mourning whenever Scotland loses a match, which means I'm mistaken for Goth most of the year. : D Also, I got royally pissed off at the fact no one appears to be reading my author's notes. So I am ransoming the chapter again, the details of which are at the bottom.

On the bright side, I think I did ok on the Junko bit, and there is an uber suprise! Byeeee! (_skips_ _off_)

* * *

Piper was a light sleeper. Whether it was a benefit or not was debatable, but it meant that she woke up at four in the morning because of someone knocking on the door of her room.

Rubbing her eyes and grumbling about the time, she pulled on her dressing gown and walked to the door. Opening it, she was surprised to see her leader. "Aerrow! What on Atmos is it? It's _four_ in the morning!"

"Sorry Piper, but the radar picked up an opposing presence. We think it might be a large patrol of Cyclonians, possibly with a battleship. They haven't noticed us because we're flying low and because of the distance betweenus, but they will soon, so it's best to suprise them while we can. I'd rather stay in bed too, but we have a duty, no matter how much sleep we want." He rubbed the back of his neck tiredly.

Suddenly, it just struck Piper how hot Aerrow looked when tired. And shirtless. "Oh…Ok, I'll see you at the bridge then," she stammered. He nodded, and ran off to his room. She turned back to hers, her head a whirl of emotions.

'_I can't be serious. It's against all rules. Even if it wasn't, he likes Heala's sister,' _she blindly thought, heavily sitting down on her bed. She glanced helplessly around as is she was drowning, for something to relate to. Her eyes fell on her notice board attached to her door, where various notices where pinned up. If you needed to tell Piper something and she wasn't there, put it on her notice board. It also served as a way of telling the rest of the Squadron what they needed to know from her. However, it was also covered with pictures. She walked up and examined them.

Yes. From the beginning, it had always been her and Aerrow. They had first met when she was five and he six, and she thought he was so cool. Piper smiled at the memory, but it soon faded, and she sighed, putting it back up on the notice board along with the picture. '_It's different now. He's fifteen and captain of a squadron. Too many things get in the way.'_

She picked up the next photo along from it. It was of a group of children on Tropica, all around the age of ten, laughing at a blond boy stuck in the mud. Now she remembered; it was a year after they had met Finn and Junko. Again, there was Aerrow, casually leaning on her shoulder in mirth. Why was he always so…carefree?

This one was more recent. It showed Aerrow after he had been knighted, proud and glowing, confetti thrown in the air by a laughing Finn. She had skulked to back of the celebrations, organising, but not really taking part. She had just set a higher crystals exam, remembered Piper, and got the highest marks in her year. She was bursting to tell Aerrow, but had refrained from telling him about it for another week. It could wait. Even so, he pulled her up, surprised, from where she was hidden at the back. Even now, Piper could still relate to the look of pride on her younger self's face as she looked upon his face.

Despite the fact they both trained in different arts, there were still similarities between the sky duelling captain and the linguistic crystal specialist. They were both passionate about their profession, and both ambitious. They even had similar leadership qualities, able to inspire and direct even in the most hopeless of conditions.

She had never had the time or felt the need for guys, so why was she desperately wishing for a diamond ring from her leader?

'_It wouldn't work out'_, she decided, forcing herself to see the truth, and get ready. '_We're in the same squadron, which is illegal. Anyway, how do I know he feels the same? When Terra's fly, I say._'

Sadly for Piper, her heart didn't agree to what her head what telling it, seeing as it usually got its way. '_Bossy boots_,' it mumbled, roaring in protest. '_Always bloody well trying to tell me what to do. You'd think it made most of the decisions round here.'_

……….

While Piper was mulling things over in her room, the rest of the ship was in pandemonium. All of the boys were racing about, attempting to motivate a ragged and patched up old_ Condor_ into battle mode. And Radarr? He was just running in circles.

"Doom, doom, we're all doomed-" Stork was babbling, flicking controls and putting the ship into a severe drop. "That's probably Ravess's ship, and she has lots and lots of lovely talons trained to speed up our doom…"

"Stork! Cut it out," interjected Aerrow. The merb only muttered darkly. "We know. Junko, get some fuel crystals out and ready the skimmers."

Walking along to the hangar with the crates of crystals, Junko came across a kneeling Heala, hurriedly tightening the screws on her skimmer's metal plating. "Heala!" he said surprised. The bounty hunter shrieked, dropping the spanner on her toe. "Hey, it's only me! What are ya' doin' down here? Did you hear about the talons comin' this way?"

"Yeah…that's right…" mumbled the girl. She fumbled with the spanner dropping it again.

"Here, lemme' help you with that," the wallop said good-naturedly, bending over the ride.

"Thanks. I was never good with mechanics." She sighed and tilted her head to look up at Junko. "The problem is that _The Pig_…refuses to cooperate after it's been forced to run on an incredibly small amount of fuel, as it was until I found you Storm Hawks. And then...it won't fly properly, so I don't know if I'll be able to help against the Cyclonians."

"Don't worry about that, you can share with one of us," answered Junko cheerfully.

"Right..."

"How's it going, Junko? Those skimmers in order?" Aerrow came in with Radarr on his shoulder, Piper and Finn behind him.

"Yep, but Heala's skimmer isn't working. Can she share with one of you guys?" He replied.

"Don't worry," called Heala jokingly from her place on the floor. "I won't mess up too badly; I've done this before."

Aerrow shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry, but it doesn't suit my fighting style. Piper?"

Thanking the Atmos for her dark skin colour to hide the blushes, she replied "Maybe." Then an idea struck her, and she smiled devilishly. "Actually, though, I think she should ride with Finn." They both stiffened unconsciously, and Aerrow raised his eyebrows so high they disappeared under his hair. "They're both sharpshooters," she continued, "they could attack our targets from afar, and get them down quicker."

"Fine!" Heala shrugged, kneeling down to pick up her helmet. "I'll try not to hit you. Not," she added quietly as she brushed passed the other girl. Piper only smiled sweetly.

Biting his lip slightly, Finn watched Heala sit down gingerly behind him, and lightly placed her hands at his waist.

"Ready? he asked. She nodded, gripping him more tightly as they set off into the fight.

* * *

Yay! I put in Piper/Aerrow! Like it? Love it? Detest it? Or did you even read it? I don't think one of my reviewers did, as they asked me who Finn MacCool was. Firstly, I STATED IT IN THE STORY. Are you sure you read it? I also mentioned it in full in the last chapter's second A/N. So now, to see how many actually read these; all reviews I get have to mention the no. 1 reason I took so long in the update. And also, I'm adding some speculation. Yay! -

1. Heala knew about the talons without being told...

2. Piper likes Aerrow, but it's against the code. What will happen?

3. The Finn/Heala is moving on. What will happen in the end?

4. Heala has some familiar traits...

Ooooh, speculation! I don't know when the next update will be, probably after Christmas. It will be a short chapter, but there's a cliff hanger! Anyway, Merry Christmas and enjoy speculating!

GWGE

XxXxX


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